Time for honesty
If we are to tackle the evil of sexism and racism, we need to start being honest. Most of all, we need to face the world as it is, rather than how we'd like it to be.
The murder of Sarah Everard has brought the subject of male oppression of women to the top of the political agenda, and if her death serves to improve matters, then it won't have been wholly in vain.
It seems counterproductive however, to equate the low-level oppression women suffer daily, and the horror of Ms Everard's murder. They may be different sides of the same coin, but they are different.
Rape and sexual assault have been found to be based in a need for power on behalf of the perpetrator, rather than sexual desire, so to discuss what a woman should or shouldn't wear rather misses the point.
Yes, women should be free to wear what they like and should never be made to feel unsafe but, they need to accept that what makes them feel good, also attracts male attention.
Men can be crude, stupid, crass and insensitive. Few however condone violence towards women. We have to look at the causes, and they run deeper than simply possessing a penis and a surfeit of testosterone.
Racism. Can anyone identify a single culture that doesn't discriminate against outsiders, at least at first? From tiny settlements in the rain forests, to your local council estate in Portsmouth, outsiders are invariably viewed with suspicion and sometimes with outright hostility.
The more outwardly different the newcomer, the greater the barriers that need to be overcome. Shouting at the top of one's voice that this is wrong does no good and it fails to address the problem.
What IS the cause of racism? I suggest it comes from a very primal fear that outsiders pose a threat to one's survival. With only limited resources to go round, of course outsiders will be shunned. Education and legislation can mitigate the problem but will not solve it. If people don't feel socially or economically threatened, then much of the stupid, hateful lazy racism might die away.
Perhaps there WILL be a time when black and white, male, female, gay and transgender can live together in harmony and mutual respect… But I don't see it happening any time soon. And not until we change the nature of society, and how we relate to one another.
Nick Haines Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove